Kittle, Kelce are two of games top tight ends
SANTA CLARA >> After each Chiefs game, 49ers tight end George Kittle gets a special delivery: Game tape of his counterpart in Kansas City, Travis Kelce.
“I get his games every single week so I can watch what he does because he’s definitely one of the best in the game at what he does,” Kittle said. “Receiving, just finding open spots.”
Kelce led all tight ends with 1,229 receiving yards this season, but was edged out on the AP’s All-Pro team by a vote of 33-17 by Kittle, who crossed the 1,000-yard threshold with a seven-catch, 86yard game in Week 17 against the Seahawks.
The veteran Chiefs tight end may have superior numbers, but even he admits that Kittle is a unique talent at the position.
“Just about everybody in the world thinks the world of George Kittle,” Kelce told reporters in Kansas City this week. “He’s an unbelievable person, unbelievable amount of energy. How he plays the game with a tenacity, it’s one of a kind. It’s special.”
Super Bowl LIV will feature elite talents all over the field, but the matchup of tight ends will showcase how the position has evolved through the years.
The last time the 49ers won the Super Bowl, four-time Pro Bowl tight end Brent Jones finished
the regular season with 49 receptions and 670 yards. Jones is considered one of the best to play the position in franchise history, but his numbers pale in comparison to Kittle who set the NFL receiving record for tight ends in 2018 when he amassed 1,377 yards on 88 catches.
There’s no question Kittle has developed as a route runner since entering the league, but Kelce says the third-year 49ers starter has developed into one of the all-around best because of what he’s able to do after making the catch.
“I do believe the run after catch is something that I’ve been able to have a knack for since I’ve been in the league and obviously since Kittle’s been in the league, he’s taken that to a whole ‘nother level,” Kelce said.
Despite leading the 49ers in receiving yards in each of the last two seasons, it’s possible Kittle’s greatest impact still comes when he’s used as a blocker. The 49ers have enjoyed back-to-back 17-point playoff wins thanks to an unstoppable rushing attack that’s keyed in part by Kittle, who is widely regarded as the best blocking tight end in the league.
His willingness to set the tone in the run game
George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after his team won the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
for a physical 49ers’ offense is something that comes naturally to Kittle, who grew up playing for his father, Bruce, a former offensive lineman at Iowa.
“The two things that I hammered into him, be great in the locker room, be a great teammate, and the other thing is, it’s still all about run blocking,” Bruce Kittle said. “So when he’s the highestranked Pro Football Focus, not just tight end but player and his run grades are that high, to me, that’s where you win.”
During his youth, Kittle’s favorite players were quarterback Brett Favre, tight end Dallas Clark and linebacker Brian Urlacher. He took to the trio for the joy they brought to the field and he’s said he tries to channel the same type of energy as a run blocker.
“If you put in the dirty
work, if you do what you’re asked on every single play whether it’s pass or run, the rest for us takes care of itself,” Kittle said. “Whether it’s yards, touchdowns, catches, if you just do what you’re supposed to do, you’re eventually going to get the ball.”
Their styles may differ on the field as Kelce is more of a consistent threat in the pass game while Kittle is more of a weapon when his team runs, but they tend to share more similarities than differences.
“We both love life,” Kelce said. “With that comes a lot of responsibility in the tight end room to not just be a one-dimensional player, but to be almost a utility guy in the locker room.”
Not every team in the NFL has a star tight end, but two that do landed in the Super Bowl.
Sabonis 5-13 6-6 16, Warren 14-23 2-3 33, Turner 2-7 2-2 6, Lamb 7-9 0-0 16, McConnell 5-9 2-2 12, McDermott 9-10 0-0 24, J.Holiday 3-7 0-0 8, A.Holiday 4-8 0-0 12, Sumner 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 50-88 12-13 129.
WARRIORS (118)
Green 3-8 3-3 10, Robinson III 7-10 2-3 18, Chriss 5-5 2-2 13, Lee 1-5 0-0 2, Russell 13-21 2-2 37, Paschall 3-7 3-4 9, Spellman 3-6 1-2 9, Burks 3-14 3-4 11, Poole 2-6 3-3 9. Totals 40-82 19-23 118.
Indiana 17-28 (McDermott 6-7, A.Holiday 4-5, Warren 3-6, Lamb
2-3, J.Holiday 2-6), Golden State 19-39 (Russell 9-13, Spellman 2-3, Poole 2-4, Robinson III 2-5, Burks 2-7, Green 1-4);
None; Indiana 36 (Sabonis 10), Golden State 38 (Paschall, Robinson III 7); Indiana 35 (McConnell, Sabonis 8), Golden State 31 (Green 11); Indiana 20, Golden State 16; 18,064 (18,064)
Fouled out:
Total fouls:
A:
Harden, HOU Antetknmp, MIL Doncic, DAL Young, ATL Lillard, POR Beal, WAS Leonard, LAC Booker, PHX Davis, LAL Wstbrook, HOU Ingram, NOP James, LAL LaVine, CHI Mitchell, UTA Siakam, TOR
Rebounds:
Assists:
43 43 40 41 44 37 35 42 38 38 41 43 47 43 34 447 477 380 380 391 357 335 386 344 373 354 416 405 393 300
1. Baylor (16-1) at Florida. 457 1551 266 1289 285 1163 292 1193 303 1247 221 1027 217 956 272 1123 273 1001 197 982 226 1034 161 1083 216 1170 173 1060 124 798 36.1 30.0 29.1 29.1 28.3 27.8 27.3 26.7 26.3 25.8 25.2 25.2 24.9 24.7 23.5
No games scheduled
Saturday's games
Metropolitan All-Stars at Atlantic AllStars, (n)
Pacific All-Stars at Central All-Stars, (n) All-Stars TBD, (n)
Sunday's games
No games scheduled
Monday's games
Washington at Montreal, 4 p.m. New Jersey at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Dallas, 5 p.m. Toronto at Nashville, 5 p.m.
St. Louis at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Anaheim at Sharks, 7:30 p.m.
Connor McDavid, EDM 49 Leon Draisaitl, EDM 49 N. MacKinnon, COL 49 David Pastrnak, BOS 51 Artemi Panarin, NYR 47 J. Huberdeau, FLA 49 Brad Marchand, BOS 51 Patrick Kane, CHI 51 Jack Eichel, BUF 48 John Carlson, WSH 49 Auston Matthews, TOR 49
Purse: Surface:
MEN'S SINGLES
THIRD ROUND
27 27 30 37 26 18 21 25 28 13 34
Saturday at Melbourne Park Melbourne, Australia AUD71,000,000
Hardcourt outdoor 49 48 42 33 42 47 44 38 34 47 23
Gael Monfils (10), France, def. Ernests Gulbis, Latvia, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-3.
Rafael Nadal (1), Spain, def. Pablo Carreno Busta (27), Spain, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. Dominic Thiem (5), Austria, def. Taylor Fritz (29), United States, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4.
Andrey Rublev (17), Russia, def. David Goffin (11), Belgium, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (4). 76 75 72 70 68 65 65 63 62 60 57
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San Diego St. at Valparaiso at Oregon Stanford
Ohio State
Monday
Favorite
Washington at Ottawa at Nashville Tampa Bay at Vancouver at San Jose
Favorite
Kansas City 51⁄2 51⁄2
2
11⁄2 61⁄2
1
5
11⁄2 13
4 141⁄2 41⁄2 51⁄2 31⁄2
7 off 131⁄2 7
61⁄2
Super Bowl - Sun Feb 2
1 (54) at Wake Forest
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Canisius So. Florida at Minnesota Fordham
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at UNLV Evansville
UCLA at California at N'western
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